Today we’d like to introduce you to Michele Halwaji.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I was born in the San Francisco Bay Area to immigrant parents, a Lebanese mother and Syrian father, part of a large extended family. Growing up middle eastern, food was always the center of whatever event was happening, even down to Sunday dinners. Complex meals with fresh ingredients and fragrant spices were always the center of every family get together. Food became the defining feature of all my happiest memories. I found myself in the kitchen at a young age always wanting to roll my sleeves up and help in any way possible. Food quickly became a huge love language for me.
As a young girl, I would always look forward to turning on the food network on Saturday mornings as opposed to your typical weekend cartoons. For the very first “job” I took, at the ripe old age of 8, I was paid with a cookbook of my choice. It was almost inevitable that I would end up being a chef.
I worked in the food industry starting at 15 at a family-owned restaurant. At 18, I went straight to culinary school. My journey went from interning, to leading bakery kitchens, to being an executive pastry chef at several different noted restaurants on the east coast (New Jersey, New York, & Montreal). My experiences were incredible and increasingly demanding but didn’t give me enough control to dictate the flavor profiles and creativity in my craft. Fists Full of Cake, my small online bakeshop here in Long Beach, is my expression of my craft at its best.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I wish I could say things have been smooth sailing, but nothing worth it ever comes easily.
There were days where I wasn’t sure when my next order would come through, especially when I first moved Fists Full of Cake to Long Beach. Those days were the toughest—but it just pushed me to be more willing to put myself out there.
There were days where I worked from 6am until 2am solo, but as soon as my order would be delivered and I’d see the look on my client’s face, it would make it all worth it.
There were weeks where I was creatively drained and wasn’t sure if I would gain inspiration from anywhere. Those were the days I’d pick up a new cookbook, read another article about a chef that inspired me, go to a museum, dive into my roots, etc. Sometimes cooking a simple meal for friends would take me back into my creative core.
At the end of it all, pastry & baking remain a loving experience for me. Our customers ask us to make pastries to help commemorate the most important people and events in their lives. I focus on baking with the care that my mother cooked with, sharing my gratitude for our customers wanting us to be part of their memories.
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Fists Full of Cake is an online bakeshop which specializes in small-batch pastries, cakes, and dessert catering that are creative, flavor-forward, and aesthetically unique. From an intimate birthday celebration to a 400 guest wedding to weekend pastry boxes, we focus on the flavor and fresh ingredients. Everything we make is made from scratch using seasonal produce.
Something that sets us apart from other bake-shops is that we take pride in being flavor forward. I don’t have the biggest sweet tooth, so I always try and compensate with making sure every bite packs a punch full of flavor rather than getting a mouthful of straight sugar. With a Lebanese & Syrian background, you’ll also find a lot of notes of middle eastern influences on our menu (i.e., Lebanese Cheesecake & Habibi Ting). As for our aesthetic, we try and incorporate anything we are currently inspired by—music, art, fashion, etc.
We pride ourselves in giving back to our community. Back in June 2020, we started making Brown Butter Charity Krispies and donating 100% of net proceeds to different organizations. Some organizations we’ve donated to include local BLM, I Have A Dream Foundation, Lebanese Red Cross, Cure SMA, and more. Our charity krispies are sold and shipped nationwide on our website.
Is there a quality that you most attribute to your success?
I feel extremely passionate about pastry and food in general. For me, passion leads to excitement and willingness to learn. I truly feel like if you believe in your craft, you’re dedicated to putting in the hard work, and always open to learn more… that is the perfect recipe for success.
I also believe that taking a risk and stepping out of your comfort zone is where the opportunities arise. Although there are many different outcomes that may occur, at the end of the day, it will either lead to success or a lesson to improve.
Pricing:
- Cakes starting @ $60+
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: www.fistsfullofcake.com
- Instagram: @fistsfullofcake
- Facebook: facebook.com/fistsfullofcake
- Twitter: twitter.com/fistsfullofcake
- Youtube: youtube.com/fistsfullofcake
Image Credits:
Personal Photo credit: Joe Calixto @shutterhappyjose
